Gashes
by katebishops
Summary: For a minute they pretend they're not superheroes and just two kids who are maybe in love. (For the TommyKate fic trade on tumblr with the prompt "One of them gets badly injured on a mission.")


He limps into Bishop publishing with his arm slung around Billy and the other around Teddy, aka the reliable boyfriends. A couple of hours ago they were "just going to nab some bad dudes," and now Tommy's wincing as he peels back the slashed spandex to reveal some rather deep wounds.

Eli's at home, and Kate and Cassie are— or _were _lounging around, occasionally taking turns with the punching bag before Cass retired in one of the rooms on one of the couches for the night.

Kate's finishing her last minute homework before the white haired speedster gets mercilessly dumped on the couch. Boys have such grace.

Instinctually she goes over to him to see what the matter is, realizing the gash extends from his arm to his torso, and his thigh's slightly grazed too. "Can't you just—" she begins casting a glance over at Billy before Tommy cuts through, still wearing his shit eating grin though it's laced with pain. "No, Kate it's cool, I don't need," he inhales and tries to hoist himself up. "_Magic_ to heal me, I can tough it out,"

Boys and their humongous egos.

Kate gives one last helpless glance to his brother who shrugs just as helplessly, "He's made his choice, I'll see if I can find some bandages," she hears Teddy add "I'll help," before the pair vanish into another room with medical supplies leaving Kate to watch over Tommy and make sure he doesn't do something stupid like, crash into a wall or something like that.

Luckily he's not gravely wounded, and he just needs to stay out of action for a couple weeks give and take before he's good as new. But still… they're usually more careful than this and by Tommy's standards, this is rather bad.

Well that is of course, if he would stop fidgeting - something he can't seem to do enough as Kate tries to cautiously dab antiseptic on the wounds. It's a long battle waiting for her if she works with the minimal space she has so her hands find the tears in his fabric and rip it open so she can simply dump the cream on it and roll it out with a cotton bud.

"Can't keep your hands off me huh Bishop," he finally says in a scratchy voice. It's a wonder how he still manages to flirt when he's battered and bloodied.

She adds more antiseptic lotion and he winces and whines like a baby.

"I wouldn't have to have my hands all over you if you were careful," she chides. "A word that's not in your vocabulary it seems,"

"Aw, but I like it when you take care of me," he pulls a pout and a boy with goggles and a green skin tight suit, with the white hair to accompany it really shouldn't look that cute doing it. "Your hands aaall over my chest, that worried little look in your eye," he continues. "It's kind of hot,"

"Is it hot when I do this," She rolls a layer of ointment on top of the disinfected cuts and the way he says 'Ow!' is completely satisfying.

It's when she's winding the bandages that Billy's brought out around his arm, and the boys have left for the night (with Billy reminding her several times to call if she needs to or to take him to the hospital when he falls asleep) that he looks up at her, the teasing, arrogant glint in his eyes replaced with something much… softer.

"Thanks," he croaks out and she knows he means it.

"I wish you'd be more careful. I'm not a nurse,"

"I'm fine. See, alive, well, I'd say I did pretty good,"

"Just bleeding. No biggie,"

"Kate,"

His non injured arm reaches out and she vaguely feels his fingers brush against her cheek. She's worried. She cares. He knows all of this. He also knows she's too strong to cry and she's probably more than a little angry at him right now.

She winds the fabric around his torso now before letting out a sigh, a tired smile and edges her cheek into his palm, eyes still focused on the white fabric tightening around his stomach. "One day you're going to get yourself killed Thomas Shepherd,"

"Nah," he sits up, pulls her down beside him and gives her forehead a peck. "Because I'll have you there to save me Katherine Bishop,"

She rests her head against his shoulder and loops a hand through his, and for a minute they pretend they're not superheroes and just two kids who are maybe in love.

She leans upwards and very briefly graces his lips with a kiss before pulling back. "Did you know that the tips of your hair are kind of charred?"

"Oh you've got to be kidding me,"


End file.
